Life On Earth
by dipdab
Summary: Short snippets of Kara & Mon-El's budding relationship. May feature other characters at times
1. Bars & Ice-Cream

**So this is my first attempt writing Karamel. I thought it was only fair to contribute to the growing collections of fics for these two. Hope you like it, and if there's any particular ideas or prompts you'd like to suggest, feel free to do so in the comments!**

The underground alien dive bar, a place that quickly became a favourite of the group's, was a little more crowded than usual for a Friday night, their regular booth taken by a group of rowdy aliens who were huddled over a pile of cards and playing chips. They had managed to find a table in the back, tucked away in the corner and away from some of the more inebriated patrons, of which had luckily just been vacated by a young couple.

Alex was in the middle of telling Maggie about the time Kara accidentally cracked the backboard of the school's basketball court when they were in high school, all because she was trying to impress some boy in gym class and threw the ball a little too powerfully. The laughs coming from the girls pulled Mon-El's attention from his conversation with Winn and James in time to hear Kara try and deny it by saying it was because she had simply misjudged the distance from the hoop, but the small blush on her cheeks said otherwise. He was a little lost, but that didn't stop him from letting out a quiet laugh when he saw Kara accept defeat and throw back the remainder of her drink.

"I need another drink," Kara stated as she wiped the corner of her mouth, "next round's on me." She said as she scooted passed Alex and out of the booth.

Kara made her way over to the bar where Darla was busy serving a pair of blue aliens, leaning on the counter while she waited for her to finish up with them.

"I didn't know you played basketball" Mon-El said as he slid in next to her and rested an arm on the counter so he was facing her.

"I don't." She turned to look at him and saw the small smile on his face and a devious twinkle in his eyes, causing hers to narrow slightly as she wondered where he was going with this.

"That's not what I heard. Alex practically sung your praises over there just after you left." He pursed his lips, trying not to give anything away and maintain his poker face.

Okay, that made her scoff, "Really? I doubt that." That was a big fat lie. She barely even knew the rules of the game, never mind played it.

"No, it's true," Mon-El told her with a soft smile, mimicking her posture before nudging her arm lightly with his. "You know I've recently come to like basketball. We should play sometime."

She didn't really know what to say to that. Kara pushed her glasses up before meeting his gaze again, "Ugh, sure. I mean, I don't really remember the-"

"Great!" he cut in. There was a short pause before he continued, and that's when she noticed the devious look return again, "Then again, maybe we should play something else. I don't think it'd be fair to the establishment we end up going to, you know, just in case there's a repeat of what happened the last time you played…I don't think you could handle all of this" he teased as he leaned back and waved his hands over his chest.

Kara couldn't believe he just set her up like that. "Okay, first of all, what Alex said was a total lie," she said through laughter, "She wasn't even there when it happened."

"Oh really?" he teased further, moving his body slightly closer to hers.

"Yeah." Kara didn't really know what to say next, slightly flustered from their little back-and-fourth. She reminded herself to have a word with Alex later, or at least share an equally embarrassing story about her sister as payback.

"And second of all?"

"Second of all, _you_ wouldn't be able to handle all of this" she threw back with raised brows, mimicking what he did with his hands just then.

"Well, you're right about that." He admitted shyly, breaking eye contact momentarily before meeting her gaze again.

A few weeks after thanksgiving, the two had finally addressed the kiss and their feelings for one another. They went on a proper date and shared another kiss or two, but nothing more than that. The pair were glad they no longer had to dance around the subject anymore, well when they were alone, as they decided not to share anything about their budding relationship to the rest of the group just yet.

Mon-El was the first to break their gaze, clearing his throat a little, and waved over Kara's shoulder at Darla before she went to serve another customer. Kara took a step back to put some distance between them and turned to order the drinks before Alex noticed their absence and embarrassed her further.

o

"Centre left pocket." Maggie stated as she lined up her last shot.

Alex glanced down at the spot on the table, coincidentally located between her legs. She had to laugh at her girlfriend's sense of humour "I really hope you miss this."

"Don't be a sore loser." Maggie said playfully before sinking the black. "Well, as fun as this was Danvers, it's getting late and I've missed my bed."

Alex checked her phone and noticed it had just gone 2am, "Yeah, I think I'll join you." She said as she made her way around the table to Maggie and placed her cue stick on the table.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot"

"What's the story with Mon-El and your sister? Are they a thing?"

She did not expect that, especially coming from Maggie. "As in together, dating?"

"Oh come on, you didn't pick up on the vibes they were giving each other?"

"The vibes? You suddenly a blonde Cali surfer now?" Alex teased. She looked over to where the two were, happily stuck in the corner by themselves. They hadn't budged since James and Winn left over and hour ago.

Maggie leaned on the pool table behind her and took a sip from Alex's beer before handing it back to her, "So you didn't see the goo-goo eyes?"

Just as Maggie said that, Alex saw Kara throw her head back laughing at something Mon-El must've said. "I don't know. They look more like friends…"

"Could be keeping it a secret. Maybe they're not ready to tell people yet." Maggie suggested, "Whatever it is, I hope it works out. You gotta admit, they're cute together."

Alex couldn't help but let out a small laugh, given her sister's a terrible liar with a crappy poker face. She was an agent for God's sake. She'd know if her sister had a crush on Mon-El, right? "Alright, Detective. Are we heading home or what?"

o

It had become a regular thing for Mon-el to come back to Kara's at the end of the day, particularly after a night of drinking. They'd usually cook, or eat junk food and watch movies or TV.

"Hey, did you notice anything weird or off with Alex?" Kara asked Mon-El as she grabbed two spoons from the kitchen drawer. She watched him throw the lid from the ice-cream onto her counter, and followed him into the living-room where they collapsed onto her couch and switched on the TV.

"How so?"

Kara passed him a spoon, "I'm not sure…" she started as she took a scoop of mint, "She was looking at me funny when we left, and it was like her and Maggie were in on some weird inside joke, or something."

"If I'm to be completely honest with you, I wasn't really paying much attention to either of them tonight." He admitted, smiling sheepishly at her as he tried some of the minty dessert.

Kara's eyes quickly flicked to his lips before going back for another spoonful, "Maybe I drank too much" She laughed, causing Mon-El to join in.

"Yeah, maybe. I'm right there with ya though." He popped another scoop of ice-cream into his mouth, causing a small moan to escape his lips, which Kara tried not to pay much attention to. He dropped his head back against the back of the couch and let his eyes close for a moment, just savouring this new taste. "I think this is my new favourite flavour."

"You said that last time about the chocolate and salted caramel one."

"It's _way_ better than the caramel one." He propped himself up again, "What about you? You got a favourite?"

"Chocolate" she tried to say around a mouthful, but it probably just ended up sounding like jargon.

"Classic" he responded, which only made her smile at him. He was already starting to sound like he lived here for years.

"Ferrero Rocher or Nutella, specifically, but it's not so easy to come by." She added, which only caused his expression to quickly change to a state of confusion as if she just suddenly started speaking Spanish.

"I don't know what any of that means."

"You have not _lived_ until you've tried them." This gave her an idea, "Hold on." She hopped off the couch and disappeared into the kitchen for a minute before returning with a jar in her hand. She couldn't resist sneaking a quick taste, licking the chocolatey goodness off her finger as she fell back into the couch. This time it was her to moan, of which didn't go unnoticed by Mon-El. It had been nothing more than an innocent action, but he couldn't help but let his mind wander and imagination come to life, thinking of things that were anything but innocent.

Kara went to pass the jar of Nutella to him, which he took, but just let it rest on his lap as his gaze was instantly drawn to her lips. Whatever possible words she was about to say were quickly forgotten when she felt his thumb brush against the corner of her mouth.

"Missed some" he said gruffly, causing him to clear his throat. He paused to show her the small smudge of chocolate before he pushed it passed his lips. All she could do was stare. "Tastes good."

"Yeah…" Kara could feel the sudden shift between them. A sudden rush of feelings and memories from their previous kisses, touches, flirts came over her, and all she wanted to do was relive them again.

When they were out in public, it was hard not to reach out and link hands, or avoid getting caught up intimate moments like earlier in the bar, or stop herself from closing the gap between them by pressing her lips to his, like right now. Only this time she didn't have to.

She leaned forward and met him half-way, her hand coming up to pull his shirt towards her in an attempt to bring him closer. She still didn't think she'd get used to the feel of his soft lips moving against hers, or his fingers entangling in her hair, but on the flip side this- _he,_ felt familiar.

There was something different about this kiss. It may have started off gentle and soft, but it quickly became more passionate and hungrier, whether that was due to the liquid courage flowing around her body from earlier or just the sexual tension between them finally coming to a peak.

Soon, their breathing started to become laboured, neither one of them wanting to break the kiss just yet in case it burst whatever bubble they found themselves in. Their fingers left trails of goose bumps, yet set their blood on fire wherever they touched. Kara could feel the strong and well-practiced hold or control she usually had on her powers begin to slip, which only added fuel to the fire as it felt completely freeing.

Feeling brave, Kara flattened her hand against his chest and pushed him against the back of the couch, surprising Mon-El momentarily, and closed the gap once more with her lips so she was now straddling him. He sometimes forgot how strong Kara actually was, and he couldn't help but be turned on by this side of her. He saw glimpses of this bold and fearless part whenever she donned her red cape, but never like this, never this close.

When the need for air became too much they finally pulled away from one another. Kara sat back slightly, using her hand to push her hair out of her face, which only exposed the side of her neck to Mon-El. He sat forward and used his arms to hug her close, and brought his lips to her to soft skin just under her jaw. He was quick to find her pulse point, which elicited a soft moan from her once more, although this time he was pleased to know it was from his doing.

It was hard not to move against him when he touched her like that, kissed her like that, especially when he responded to her in a similar fashion, meeting her every move. It was all becoming a bit too much for her, especially with his hands running over her body and his tongue cooling her skin.

But they needed to press pause. Baby steps is what she told herself when they first started dating. What's the rush? It wasn't just one sided, as Mon-El too wanted to take things slow and make sure they did this right. But it was hard not to throw in the towel and give in to their desires.

Luckily, he didn't have to make that decision. There was a sudden cold sensation at the back of his hip, causing him to jump slightly. He broke the kiss and looked behind him, Kara searching for whatever caused them to stop and bring them back to reality. In the midst of everything, probably when Mon-El sat up to kiss her neck, the ice cream container must've fallen behind him on the couch.

He reached behind him and set the dessert on the arm rest, trying not to let the sensation of Kara's laughter distract him again. It wasn't until then did he notice how tight his pants actually felt, and what's worse is knowing that Kara is fully aware of how much she's affected him.

Before she spoke, Kara let out a slow breath to steady herself. "It's getting pretty late."

"Yeah," Mon-El said softly, bringing his hand up to gently tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Kara leaned in one last time to give him a chaste kiss before pushing herself off of him and gathered up the half-melted ice-cream and Nutella.

"I hope you don't mind the stain that'll leave on your couch." He joked, loud enough for her to hear in the kitchen.

"Nah, I'll just flip the cushion." She replied as she walked back into the living room, and then disappeared into her room in search of a sheet and spare blanket for him. She didn't expect him to walk home at four in the morning, plus there was a part of her that didn't want him to leave just yet. She handed him the clean bedding, and then all that was left to do was say goodnight.

She looked over her shoulder at him when she reached her bedroom door, giving him a shy smile, hoping he couldn't see the small blush on her cheeks. "Night, Mon-El."

"Night, Kara." And with that he watched her disappear one last time.


	2. Sparring & Takeout

**A/N:** **Thank you for all of the positive feedback on the previous chapter, especially those that commented! It warms my heart knowing that you enjoyed reading something I wrote.**

 **This particular chapter took a little longer to write. I wasn't too sure where I wanted it to go, but I hope it reads okay. This particular chapter sets up the next one nicely, I think. Let me know your thoughts on it, yeah? Hope you all have a lovely weekend, and enjoy!**

Mon-El falls hard, his body covered in a thin layer of sweat.

"Again." Kara tells him as she walks back to her starting point at the edge of the mat. Mon-El steals a glance over at her and sees her fix her ponytail, tucking away the loose strands of hair that had fallen around her face during their spar.

Kara pinched the material of her black hoodie at her shoulders and pulled it back to a more comfortable spot, fixing her attire before they began their next round. Recently, Kara decided to train in something a little less…flashy, instead choosing to wear something a little more athletic and casual. Today she went for grey calf-length leggings, and a black tank and zip-up hoodie.

Mon-El was a fan of this new look, not to say that he didn't enjoy seeing her in her famous red and blue. He's seen smart and professional Kara, lazy day Kara, and red-carpet ready Kara, but never athletic Kara. The only downside to this particular look was the fact that it meant he had to focus a little more during their sparing. Now her outfits clung to her body just that little bit more, and when her hair was like this, tousled, or her neckline hung low, well, it might cause a momentarily slip in focus on his part, and when this happened she damn well made him pay for it, whether it was with a kick or a jab.

He took a steadying breath before pushing himself off the floor, wiping away the trickle of sweat at his temple as he returned to the opposing side. When he turned to face her, he noticed that she had removed her hoodie, leaving her in just a loose tank. _'Wonderful'_ , he thought, almost looking to the heavens.

"Try shifting your weight so it's distributed equally to both feet. You tend to put a lot on your front foot, which compromises your balance." She instructed. He didn't even notice he was doing that. "Alex told me I had the same problem when I first started fighting."

"Right." He nodded, consciously shifting his weight back to his hind leg. "You're good at this." He said as he moved towards her, his hands raised in front of him.

"At fighting? 'Good' is a bit generous." She responded, shrugging her shoulder slightly. She was hardly a professional fighter. Alex was good. She was okay. She didn't need to rely too heavily on her parrying skills, fortunately, since she had super strength, the ability to fly, or heat vision.

"At this mentoring thing, I mean." He went to punch her, but she quickly evaded his attempt.

"You're a fast learner" She returned with a smile. Kara landed a kick to his front leg. "Weight." she reminded him.

Mon-El glanced down at his lower half as he adjusted his stance, which opened up the door for Kara to land a punch on his chest, knocking him off balance. "Hey, that's cheating."

"The bad guy isn't going to play fair" She smirked, quirking an eyebrow up. She went to punch him again but he knocked it aside.

Both circled the mat, waiting for the other to make a move or slip up. Kara decided to drop her hands slightly to taunt him, curling her fingers towards her body as a sort of 'come at me' motion. This only caused Mon-El to laugh as it reminded him of their first training sessions, "Not happening." No way was he running at her. Instead he jabbed twice, but both met her palms, and were pushed aside, to which she countered by running towards him. She was quick on her feet, he had to give her that. Her arms hugged his chest, and she used a quick burst of strength to push him back to the point where she was almost running, but that only lasted a second or so before he regained his balance and stopped her efforts, causing them to stop. They stayed like this for a moment, grunting as both tried to get the upper hand but also control their breathing, in a weird sort-of embrace.

"Almost got me there" he admitted.

He heard something resembling a laugh before her knee met his stomach, causing him to double over, but he recovered quickly and hooked his leg behind hers so she tripped when he pushed back. This time it was Kara to fall to the ground, grunting softly as she did. She didn't stay down for long though, as she grabbed him by the arm and pulled his body towards her, lifting her foot up and using his momentum to flip him over her. His back hit the cold mat, stunning him all-together.

Neither of them moved, except for the rapid rise and fall of their chests, as they were too tired after an hour of doing this. They needed a moment to catch their breath if they had any chance of beating the other.

Mon-El tried one last attempt to catch her out, swiftly pushing himself up onto all fours and crawled towards her, hoping that he could try and win by submission, but he quickly found that her guard was up. She was ready, and positioned herself so she was able to roll him over …and now she was straddling him.

"Nice try", she said as she pinned his hands on either side of his head.

"Not that I'm complaining, but I don't think my attacker will try to straddle me". He joked.

"Well how else am I going to do to make sure you don't try anything else?" Kara sat back against his thighs, lifting her hands to push away the pieces of hair that had escaped the hair tie. "Can't even catch my breath for a second." She added, and then dropped her hands to rest them on her thighs. "And you never know, you might cross paths with an evil alien temptress." She quipped before wiggling her hips suggestively.

"The only evil one here is you" he responded, quickly halting her movements by placing his hands on her hips. He dropped his head back and wiped the sweat from his face, completely spent. "I suppose it wouldn't be the worst way to go." He laughed softly, which was met with a playful slap to the chest, "Joking!"

The sound of a door opening caused the laughter to stop, and both went to look for the source of intrusion.

"Hey, Kara? I was- whoa, _okay_ …" The pair saw Alex halt in the doorway, eyes immediately finding a safe spot on the ceiling. She was contemplating whether or not to proceed or retreat as her hand was still on the door handle and she had one foot already out the door.

"Alex! Hey, uh…" Kara quickly realised how this must look, 'we were just sparring.'

"Okay, you could've said that a _little_ more convincingly." Mon-El muttered to her quietly as they both went to stand.

"What's up?" she asked with just a smidge too much enthusiasm to sound natural.

"It can wait, if this isn't a good time."

"No, no, we were just finishing up." Kara dismissed, fixing her clothes as she made her way over to her water bottle next to her older sister. "Everything okay?" Alex was rarely in this early on a Saturday morning, so she couldn't help but naturally assume something was wrong.

"Yeah, everything's fine." She waved, "I just wanted to ask what time Mom and I should call over for dinner. I tried your phone a couple times, but got no answer."

"Right, dinner. Um, I dunno, around 7?" Kara shrugged a shoulder, and then went to take a mouthful of water. Eliza was visiting for the weekend and was arriving in town later this afternoon.

"Sounds good."

"Cool." Kara smiled, a little bit too happily to be convincing or relaxed, as she was still trying to recover from her sister walking in on them.

Alex returned the smile and then looked to the Daxaminte who was standing a few steps behind Kara, trying to occupy himself in a room that could only be described as sparse or minimalistic, god bless him. "Hey, Mon-El, you're more than welcome to come. I'm sure mom would be thrilled to see you again." Kara frowned, unable to hid the bit of confusion or sudden surprise from her face, which didn't go unnoticed by her sister. It's not like Maggie was joining them, so what was all that about?

He turned to look at the DEO agent, catching the tail end of what could only be described as a smug smile as she turned to leave.

The pair watched the door shut, both unsure about what just happened.

 _Does she know?_ Kara thought, but dismissed that thought quickly, not wanting to dwell on that possibility, otherwise tonight was gonna be _fun_.

"One more round?" Kara asks him, wanting to distract herself from overanalysing that conversation.

Mon-El's eyebrows lift, his lips pursing, unsure about whether or not he has another one in him. She doesn't give him much time to form an answer though, as she is quick to take his hand as she passes, "One more round."

He lets his head fall back, letting her pull him along. "Fine." He paused, "Then food."

o

It was now later in the evening. The pair had spent the best of an hour sifting through her impressive, or slightly worrying- depending on how you looked at it, collection of takeout menus at her breakfast bar table. After narrowing it down to a small handful of places, Kara called her sister and they eventually decided on Asian cuisine.

"Question for you, is spicy hotter than hot or is hot hotter than spicy?" Mon-El asked as he finished up looking at one particular place, and then handed Kara the last of the menus so she could return them to their spot atop the fridge.

"Hot is hotter than spicy...I think. I'm not sure."

"Seems like a very inefficient way of measuring spice level." He said, which only made her laugh.

"You make a good point. I'll ask Alex when she gets here, she has quite the fondness for this kind of food." She re-joined him at the table, standing next to him as he leaned against the table top. "Bit of a change in topic, but I just wanted to let you know that I hope you don't feel pressured to have dinner with us tonight. I'd be totally fine if you didn't want to. I know Alex sort of just dropped it on you earlier…"

"Not at all. I like your mother. She's very smart. Alex, on the other hand…she can be a little scary sometimes" He admitted, causing both of them to laugh.

"Don't worry, she's like that with everyone at first." Kara waved off, hoping to settle some of his nerves.

"No, in all honesty, I like spending time with your family. It's been in a while since I can remember what that feels like." He told her.

"Eliza likes you. She told me so at thanksgiving."

"Yeah? Like, _likes me_ likes me?" he added, recalling the term Kara had used a while back. This only made Kara laugh at him. "What?"

"When someone says that it means they're attracted to you…that they'd like to date you."

"Oh."

"Yeah. So for example, I like Winn and James…"

"-but you _like_ like me." He finished, the beginnings of a smug smile appearing. "Wait, you talked about me to your mother? What else did she say?" he asked, hoping she'd indulge him some more and reveal another little secret about this mother-daughter talk.

"I've already said too much." She was not getting into this when the person in question was going to show up at her apartment any minute.

"So there's more?"

"I didn't say that."

"But there is, isn't there."

"Nope."

"You're crinkling." He told her which only made her cover her forehead with her hand. "Okay, how about this: if you tell me what Eliza said about me, I won't touch you, look at you, or kiss you tonight." He didn't actually intend to 'out' them, but she didn't know that. He enjoyed teasing her.

"Not happening." She scoffed. He wouldn't dare do to that.

"No?" He picked up the hand nearest him, linking his fingers with hers, "So I'm not allowed to hold your hand under the table?" he suggested.

"No." she spoke softly.

He maintained eye contact with her, lifting their entwined hands to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to the back of hers. "What about this? You think this would give us away?"

She shook her head gently. The corners of her mouth crept up into a smile from his playfulness.

"I'm kidding."

"I know."

He tugged lightly on her hand, pulling her closer, so he could press his lips to hers. It was a tender kiss, much like the first one they shared. Slow, sweet. His other hand found the soft skin of her cheek, warm to the touch, his fingers subtly caressing her face.

They broke apart, and Kara was so _close_ to giving in and just telling her family the second they got here. It was times like this that really made her feel that spark between them, a connection she hadn't really felt before with anyone else. She looked at their joined hands, running her thumb over his, before looking back up at him. "You're sweet."

"You make it easy."

 _Okay, easy on the heart eyes_ , she told herself. "We should probably order the food."

It was as if her family had heard her, as there was a light knock on her door at the mention of food. "Show time." She said, and kissed him quickly before she went to let her family in.


	3. Progress

**A/N: And here I was thinking i'd make the Friday after unknowingly creating an upload schedule for myself... I didn't cop that I uploaded the last two on a Friday. I suppose that's Friday the 13th for you! This particular chapter just...*clenches fist*. I didn't really know what way I wanted it to go, or how I could link it all together smoothly, and then there are parts that just didn't sit right no matter how many times I rephrased it or changed it, so this is why it might have taken a little longer to upload.**

 **Thank you again for all of the kind words, follows, and faves. It's funny how a few words can mean so much, so thank you. As always, I hope you enjoy it, and if there's any particular prompts or ideas or characters you'd like me to include, drop me a message in the comments! Have a lovely weekend!**

Dinner had been a success, and nothing short of being an absolute pleasure for Mon-El. He was slowly beginning to feel that sense of belonging Kara often talked about, even if it was at a glacial pace, but it was progress. He could _feel_ it happening and that was enough to give him hope. Being with her, like this, and with her family made him believe that he too could have this again one day on Earth.

At one point his mind had wandered to the night he finally let her in. He knew he couldn't keep pushing down and ignoring his feelings or covering up his pain with humour because that didn't do anyone any good. Looking back on it, he couldn't help but feel a little stupid for taking so damn long to actually open up to her, because she took it exactly how he knew she would- utterly and completely understanding and supportive. It was Kara after all.

" _It'll take some time,_ " _she had told him,_ " _you just need to_ _be patient_. _I know that's not very comforting right now, but I promise you, there'll come a time when the memories of home no longer hurt as much."_

The memory brought a small smile to his face, and his fingers subconsciously rubbed the skin of his hand where both of hers had clasped it. He looked up and saw that Kara had been watching him from across the table. She offered him a soft smile, hoping it would bring some sense of comfort to him. It was like she had the power to read his mind.

They had been finished with their meal for a while now, nursing their drinks as they sat around the table, sharing stories. Eliza was more than happy to take on the role of story-teller for the evening as she more than forthcoming when it came to recounting tales from her younger years, including some about her daughters and how she got to where she is today, completely enthralling Mon-El. He enjoyed hearing about Kara as a child and the family that made her the person she is today, as well as how she adjusted to life on Earth.

Mon-El was the first to leave the table, feeling the need to stretch his legs a little after sitting for so long. Alex was in the middle of telling her Mom about the time her and Kara worked with Barry Allen, playing towards her mom's scientific background by informing her of his ability to travel back in time and the fact that he lived in an alternate world, which he knew about already so it was an opportune time to step away.

He collected their plates and brought them with him to the kitchen, that way his absence wouldn't go too unnoticed by the rest of them and it gave him a good excuse for leaving.

"Everything okay?" he heard Kara ask as she appeared next to him, placing the last few dirty dishes in the sink and the remaining takeout containers in the bin. "You kinda zoned out back there."

"Yeah." He reassured her, smiling softly. "Was just thinking…about home, about what you told me the other night." It's not like they could get into it right now, but it was enough to answer her question and let her know where his mind was at. He wiped his hands on the dishtowel beside him, fidgeting with the label to keep his hands busy.

"Ah, I see…I'm really sorry, I didn't mean for this dinner to get so-" she started to wave her hand around as she spoke.

"No, it's okay. I liked listening to those stories. It's not often I get to hear about your life before you were Supergirl…who knew you were such a rebel." He chuckled, recalling the anecdote about her and Alex sneaking out to fly around the city.

"What she didn't tell you is how much trouble we got in when we got home. They certainly scared me enough to not want to use my powers for a while after that." They shared a small laugh, before she spoke again, "I think we're going to watch a movie. You don't have to stay if you don't want to." She told him just before a yawn escaped her lips.

He glanced over to the other two who were still deep in conversation, only they were moving to a more comfortable spot in the living room, before returning his gaze to her. "A movie sounds good. Besides, someone's gotta keep them company after you fall asleep." He teased gently, nudging her shoulder with his. He couldn't resist that little bit of contact.

"Oh, please." she chuckled as she retrieved the box of microwave popcorn from her one of the drawers.

Once she popped the movie snack into the microwave she made her way back over to him, lowering her voice so Eliza or her sister wouldn't hear what she was about to say. "There's no way I'm leaving you alone with those two. Who knows what you'd tell them." He saw the corners of her lips creep onto a smug smile.

"You think so little of me." He replied, feigning hurt. Her playfulness was contagious. Feeling a little cheeky, he checked to make sure they weren't any prying eyes before landing a light smack on her backside, and walked passed her to join her family before she could tell him off, leaving her in disbelief from his bold move. He could feel her eyes on him, but he kept moving. He couldn't help but feel a little too pleased with himself.

Surely enough, that's exactly what happened. Kara had made it about half-way into the movie before she drifted off, partly because the popcorn had run out and the other being good old-fashioned tiredness. To be fair she had had a long week of fighting off criminals and other lifeforms, and had Alex and Eliza not been here he would have snuggled closer and done the same. But they were, so he went with it and just tried not to lean into her too much.

They had arranged the furniture so they were all facing the small screen, yet arranged in a way that they could be close enough for small talk, particularly on Kara's side. He discovered that the Danvers sisters, when together, liked to find faults in whatever movie they watched, which didn't end up lasting very long as it was put to rest by Eliza after Kara let out a belly laugh from something Alex had said.

Then about a third into the film, Mon-El felt Kara's fingers graze his, emboldened by the dark room and under the protection of her blanket. He quickly glanced across the coffee table to makes sure the women weren't paying any attention to them before he began playing with hers and running his fingers over her skin. She fell asleep like this, her hand joined with his and her head resting against his shoulder.

He didn't have it in him to wake her up, and he tried to ignore the subtle looks Alex and Eliza shared when they first noticed them. It would be impossible to argue that Kara didn't feel comfortable around him, so much so that even in sleep she was content with the possibility of even falling asleep on him, and that said something. He just hoped they didn't pick up on all of that that, instead just taking it at face value for what it was- that she was tired.

Fortunately, she hadn't woken when he disentangled himself from her towards the end of the movie. He was in need of a cold glass of water after the salty popcorn from earlier.

The sound of footsteps behind him caused him to turn his head, almost expecting Kara to be there. He couldn't help but straighten his posture when he saw it was Eliza. It didn't matter how many times he talked to her, she still made him a little nervous.

She looked at him like she had something to say, possibly using the empty wine glass in her hand as an excuse to follow after him into the kitchen and avoid arousing suspicion, or maybe she told Alex that she wanted to speak to him and the glass was just an ice breaker.

The conversation between them was easy-going and relatively safe, but it wasn't long before the small talk took on a more serious tone and shifted towards a certain someone, and he couldn't help but wish that he hadn't left his spot on the couch.

"I hope you don't mind me saying this, Mon-El…that I'm not overstepping…" she started, testing the waters before she dove into whatever she wanted to tell him.

"I know she has Alex, but I'm sure there are things in her life that no one here could really help her with, not completely. She told me what happened to you- to your home, and at the beginning I think she realised that she could be the one to help you, and that's all it would be. But now, I think it's turned into something a little more…symbiotic, in a sense- mutually beneficial." She clarified, trying to find the right words.

"You may say that's the scientist in me talking." She laughed softly. "I don't really know how to explain it really… I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm glad that my daughter has someone who knows what she went through…that she isn't completely alone."

"What about her cousin? Or J'onn? I'm sure she was able to talk to them about Krypton before I got here."

Eliza pursed her lips, pausing for a moment to collect her thoughts. "She was, yes. But I think the difference here is that she cares for you. Feelings are involved. She can be herself around you, maybe even tell you things she'd never admit even to them, or her sister." She must've seen the look of surprise that flickered across his features because she added "I see the way she looks at you. A mother knows." Eliza winks, giving him a small smile and a light squeeze of his arm before heading back. Food for thought, I guess.

He was kinda blown away by what she said. He didn't really know what to do with himself, only just stand there and let his mind process everything for a minute.

Kara must've woken because he heard her voice from his spot in the kitchen. Guess that was his cue. He returned to the living room and saw that Eliza and Alex were gathering up their belongings.

"No, no, stay where you are sweetie." Eliza said as she bent over to kiss her daughter on the head. "It's getting late. I'll see you tomorrow for coffee or something."

Kara rubbed her eyes, trying to wake herself up to say her goodbyes. "Okay. Thanks for coming over."

Eliza walked over to him and pulled him in for a hug, "It was nice seeing you again, Mon-El." This woman has surprised him more in one evening than anyone else he's met since landing on Earth.

"The pleasure is mine, Eliza." He saw Kara watching them from her spot on the couch before she flipped the blanket off of her lap and stood to pull Alex in for a goodnight hug.

The small-talk and goodbyes continued until they reached the door, and he was grateful that neither one asked if he wanted a lift back to the DEO. The knowing smile from Eliza on her way out was enough to tell him that she assumed he'd want to have a bit of alone time with Kara before the night was over.

He heard Kara let out a huff as she collapsed into the couch again, tucking her leg underneath her, once they were alone in her loft. "Well, I think tonight was a success."

"Yeah." He responded absentmindedly as he sat down next to her, lost in his own thoughts for a moment as he reflected on all that had happened in the past few hours. He felt the soft cotton blanket fall across his lap, and he couldn't help but wrap his arm around her waist to pull her back against his chest, and she let him.

Dinner with her family was undoubtedly a success. It couldn't have gone any better. He practically got her mother's approval this evening, and it warmed his heart knowing this, and now he was curled up the couch with this amazing woman who apparently cared about him just as much as he did for her.

He dropped a kiss to her head, and was more than happy when she entwined her fingers with his in response. Yeah, this evening was definitely progress.


	4. Dive Right In

Summary:

Based on the promotional images for 2x15.

Notes:

Adulting is hard. Apologies for the lack of updates recently. I've been trying to write but uni's kicking my butt as of late. I do want to thank you all for the sweet messages and reviews. It does motivate me a lot, and i'm glad you're all finding some enjoyment from this fic. Since the last chapter, i've managed to come up with a few different ideas but ultimately they didn't make the cut. Maybe i'll post them later on, but for now they're being put in the 'pending' pile. Funnily enough there were elements in those drabbles that shared similarities with the show, which was weird but also frustrating because i felt like kicking myself for not posting them before it happened, lol. If i do end up posting those half-finished drabbles you might be able to find those bits.

Also, i am planning on writing a chapter on them "going public", you know, to fall in line with their story line on the show (which has been amazing btw!), so that is coming. Anyways, enjoy the chapter- only took a marathon of karamel scenes and Ed's new songs to get this done :P

It was late. After the long and gruelling day, she was looking forward to wrapping herself up under the soft blanket on her couch while she watched mindless TV, but the sound of a timid knock on her door grabs her attention. _Mon-El_. It brings a smile to her face.

She makes her way over to the door, wincing slightly at the loud creak it makes as she opens it. "Hi."

"Hey…can we talk?" he asks, the trepidation in his voice telling her that this wasn't going to be like one of their regular nights.

"Yeah, 'course." She steps to the side to let him in, furrowing her brow slightly as she looks him over. "Everything okay?"

He steps inside and clasps his hands together, rubbing them nervously as he tries to figure out what he wants to say. "Um…you wanna sit?" he asks as he points to the two chairs at the end of the dinner table. One thing she appreciates about him is ability to be direct with her if something's on his mind, as he's done many times before. At first it was quite intense, but she quickly adjusted to it and it even encouraged her to do the same with him.

She nods and pulls her lips into her mouth, hugging her chest without thinking as if it'll offer some protection for what he's about to say. She makes her way to the chair at the head of the table, Mon-El taking the seat next to her, angling it in such a way that they were now facing one another.

She waits for him to take the lead, trying to read his expression, but is without luck in figuring out what this could be about. The only indication that this was not going to be a pleasant conversation was when he reached up to scratch his stubble- his nervous tick.

"Um…I don't really know how to say this or if it'll make any sense…" he admits, drawing in a shaky breath as he struggles to find the words. "I've wanted this- ", he waves between them, " _you_ , for so long…" His eyes flick up to meet her baby blues, hoping to borrow some strength from the woman in front of him as he begins to share his thoughts. "You're the first thing I think about when I wake up, and my last thought before I fall asleep…and I've never felt this way about anyone before. I never thought I'd care for someone like this…or have this fear that I might lose them."

She watches him, staying quiet and letting him speak his mind uninterrupted.

"I just don't know _how_ to do this." He clears his throat, running a finger over his lip as he waits for the beginnings of a lump in this throat to go away, "Just when I think I'm getting it, I go and mess things up... and I'm afraid that I'm just going to lose you because I can't give you what you need." The defeat in his voice pains her, feeling her shoulders fall and heartstrings tug at his words.

This prompts her to speak up, "Mon-El…"

"There's only so many times you-"

"Hey, relationships aren't easy. Couples fight… this is new to me too, Mon-El." She reaches out to comfort him, covering his clasped hands with one of hers.

Her head falls to one side as she tries to figure out where this is coming from. "We're still figuring things out right now. It'll take time, but we'll get there."

He doesn't look sold, but he tries his best to play it off as if he was, nodding his head. "Okay." he mutters so quietly, meeting her gaze for a moment before looking away. A silence falls over them, neither of them sure what to say. She senses that he might be slightly embarrassed, judging from the lack of eye contact and the furrow of his brow. "I'm, uh…I'm gonna go."

He stands, readying to leave but she stops him with her hand, clasping the wrist closest to her. "Hey…"

He glances down at her hand, slowly turning his body towards her.

"Come here." She asks him softly, gently tugging at his hand.

Mon-El bends down in front of her, abandoning the chair he had just vacated and looks at his hand on her lap. She waits for him to look at her, but he doesn't. His eyes remain fixed on their hands, and it kills her to see him like this- dejected, hurt…so hopeless.

She slowly brings her hands to cradle his face, allowing her fingers to run up through the soft hair by his ears. "Mon-El," she whispers his name, pouring as much love as she possibly can into his name, "Mon-El, look at me."

The daxamite is slow to lift his head, and the pain behind his eyes makes her glad she didn't let him leave and be alone, only realising how much this was bothering him.

"I do need you." She feels the beginnings of a small blush creep up under her skin, briefly breaking eye contact with him as she musters the strength to push through that fear of being vulnerable, and pulls him closer, softly tracing her thumbs over his five o' clock shadow. "Sometimes it scares me how much I like you." A nervous laugh passes through her, but she quickly recovers. "When I'm with you… you make me feel safe, Mon-El."

She drops her hands, seeking out his once more as her fingers begin to play with his, and he follows her gaze to look at the small gesture. They've become so comfortable around each other, and in the beginning, it surprised him by how physical Kara was- how generous she was with her touches, always seeking out some point of contact.

"Being with you has made me learn things about myself…how to be more myself with you. I'm not used to this either…I've never liked being vulnerable, or open, with another person. I forget that I don't always have to be strong and that it's okay to need someone. I guess I just never thought that I'd have that…and now I do." She looks up at that last bit, meeting his gaze.

A warm smile tugs at the corners of her mouth. "I'm happy, Mon-El. _You_ make me happy."

So many emotions were swirling around in those stormy blues of his, but her words must have resonated with him because without breaking eye contact his hands move to her waist, hugging her sides and he lets out a content sigh.

"I don't deserve you." He states softly, disbelief and admiration for the woman in front of him seeping into his words.

She's said all that she needed to say, but she was never fully confident at using her words so she leans forward and pulls him towards her, hoping that a kiss would convince him of her feelings, and shatter any remaining doubt he might have.

The kiss they share is gentle, but quickly amounts to something much more passionate. Mon-El pushes himself up to bring his face level with hers, wrapping strong arms around her slender waist to bring her closer until there's no more space between them. The intensity and seriousness of the conversation melted away, instead being replaced with a tender pledge of future bliss.

Kissing him felt cathartic, as it reaffirmed that sizzling connection between them and released any unexpressed feelings she had for him but was too afraid to say.

Her arms slid around his neck, wanting nothing more but to stay like this. He grounded her. He made her feel strong, and safe, and loved, and all she wanted to do now was be as close to him as she possibly could.

"Stay with me." She muttered against his lips, her voice croaky and slightly out of breath.

He leaned his forehead against hers for a moment, brushing his nose off hers before pulling back to gaze into her eyes, and nodded. Smiling softly, he raised a hand to tuck a loose strand behind her ear, wanting to remember this moment and commit it to memory before uttering words he knew she'd laugh at. "Comets."

She pulls her bottom lip into her mouth, the beginnings of a smile gracing her features at his comment. She decides to stand, pulling him with her until they're toe-to-toe. Not wanting to say anything else, Kara pushes herself onto her tiptoes and presses her lips to his, insinuating that the night is still young and leads him to her room.


	5. A Trick Of The Mind

**A/N: Thank you all so much for your kind words- I can't say it enough.** **Next few chapters will be lighter, I promise. Just felt the need to write something like this, and why hold it back when I can upload it after it's finished? If there's anything particular you'd like to read, let me know and I might give it a go. As always, enjoy :)**

" _I love you."_

Her body bolts upright, heart hammering inside her chest as the adrenaline pumps around her body. It takes her a moment to fully realise where she is- what happened, eyes searching out for anything recognizable, hoping to bring some sort of reassurance that it was all just a dream. Her sister's words play over in her mind, being the last thing she shouts over the loud thrusts of the engines as she's about to hit earth's atmosphere.

Hands push the comforter away from her lap when her mind catches up with her, noticing the uncomfortable way the material around her neck sticks to her skin, damp with sweat and evidence of her restlessness. She swallows the lump in her throat, trying her best to slow her breathing and calm her beating heart. It didn't come as a surprise that she'd relive that moment in her sleep- it's happened plenty before, comes with the territory.

She pushes her hair away from her face, sweeping fingers over her cheeks and forehead in case she missed any stray hairs, only to find that she had been crying. She hasn't cried in her sleep in a long time- not since Astra had passed, she thinks.

Kara feels the mattress on her left dip and a light touch on her shoulder, the tingling sensation from his stubble making her shiver slightly. She wipes the remnants of her nightmare away, not that she cared if he noticed her tears.

"Hey" he croaks, his voice heavy with sleep- it's slowly become one of her favourite sounds. If those thoughts weren't plaguing her mind she would've turned towards him and simply kissed him until sleep overcame them both. "It's okay…just a nightmare."

She can't help but lean into his touch, finding comfort in his warmth and soothing voice.

"Sorry for waking you."

"Don't be sorry." He speaks softly, hand gently rubbing her back.

Through the thin t-shirt she can feel his heat, making her aware of how cold the apartment actually is. Her fingers squeeze his thigh gently before pushing herself off the bed, in need of a new shirt. She feels his eyes on her as she walks over to the couch at the foot of her bed, finding his black tee crumpled on top of his jeans. She holds it up, silently asking for permission before removing hers and replacing it with his.

Mon-El waits for her to return to bed before speaking, taking her silence as confirmation that whatever she dreamt of had managed to shake her. "You wanna talk about it?" He broaches the subject carefully, not wanting to rush her into talking about it so soon after it happened.

Tight lipped, Kara drops her head, focusing on her fingers as they play with the draw strings on her cotton shorts.

"Did it have anything to do with what happened today?" he adds, moving his hand to her lower back.

She lifts her head, looking at nothing in particular. "I, uh... yeah." She wasn't planning on going back to sleep just yet since it was still fresh in her mind, and from the looks of it neither was he, so where was the harm in talking about it…. might do her some good. "I, uh…I couldn't save her."

Their eyes lock, and despite it being the middle of the night he sees the sadness swimming around in those deep blues.

"But you did." He simply put it, not wanting her to dwell on the 'what ifs'. "She knew you would."

She covers her face, rubbing her hands over it as if she was trying to physically wipe it from her mind. "It felt so real." She sighed heavily.

She was glad for him being here. In the past she would've pushed it down and turned to coffee to get her through the rest of the night, or fly above the city to clear her head until help was needed someplace. It was nice having someone there to listen for a change.

"Not to inflate your ego any more than it already is, ", he joked, emitting a small snort from her as he recalled the comment he made during their argument in the DEO when Mr. Mxyzptlk showed up, "but if you can stop that Hoshin Frigate from warping to the other side of the universe, I think you can do anything."

A small yawn escapes her lips, tiredness creeping back now that the adrenaline has slowed. She lifts the leg dangling over the side of the mattress up, falling back until she's tucked into his side in the middle of the bed.

"Look, Alex went into that ship knowing the risks. She wanted to save those people. Even if you couldn't have stopped the ship, it wouldn't have been your fault. She would've known that you tried your best, and that's all you can do." He reassures her one last time, hoping that puts an end to any uncertainties.

Kara brings her hand up to rest it against his chest, tracing patters on the soft cotton of his shirt as she listens.

"Yeah?"

She lifts her head slightly to look at him, smiling softly. "Yeah."

He pulls her closer, pressing a kiss to her forehead when she rests her head against his shoulder, nestling into his neck. They lie there for a while, listening to each other's breathing and trailing fingers over skin. It takes her mind off her sister's almost demise, and as time goes by his touch begins to slowly lull her to sleep.

Mon-El moves his hand from her exposed hip to pick up the hand on his chest, interlocking his fingers with hers. It's little gestures like this that make her chest flutter, and she can't resist reciprocating his feelings with a tender kiss just under his jaw.

"Not to inflate your ego, or anything," she hears how sleepy her voice is but continues anyways when she hears him laugh, "but you're pretty great."


End file.
